Ma i
by Vanessa Sgroi
Summary: Steve is sick but he doesn't realize how sick until Grace clues her father in and asks for help.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Nothing related to Hawaii Five-0 belongs to me. I'm just having some fun with Steve and Danno.

* * *

**Ma'i**

**By: Vanessa Sgroi**

Danny Williams watched as his ex-wife, Rachel, pulled up outside the headquarters for Hawaii Five-0. His daughter, Grace, slipped from the backseat, waved goodbye to her mother, and ran toward him full tilt, a bright smile on her face.

She launched herself at him. "Danno!"

"Hey, Monkey!" He hugged her tight before easing her back down to the ground. He gave Rachel a quick finger wave and watched her drive away. "I'm so glad your mom wanted to drop you off tonight instead of tomorrow morning!"

"Me too! Guess what…"

"What?"

"I made you cookies!"

"You did?"

"Uh huh. Your favorite too—peanut butter!" She patted her backpack. "They're in here."

"I bet they're the best cookies ever." Danny took his daughter's hand and led her into the building. "So, listen, I just have a couple of more things to wrap up and then we're outta here. We can go get dinner or something."

"Pizza?"

"Pizza? Again?"

"Pleeeease!" Gracie begged, wide-eyed.

"Okay, pizza it is. But no pineapple."

"Just a little bit of pineapple?" The little girl made a gesture with her thumb and index finger. "It's good!"

Danny gave her an exaggerated grimace. "Pineapple on half. That's my final offer."

Grace grinned. "Deal!"

After reaching Danny's desk, Grace ran over to both Chin Ho and Kono, greeting each of them with a hug. Reaching into her backpack, she pulled out the container of cookies, offering each of the task force members one. "These are for Danno but there's lots and lots." Returning to her dad, she asked, "Where's Uncle Steve?"

"He's in his office."

"Can I go say hi?"

"Sure. I'm sure he'd like that, squirt."

A little while later, Danny felt a tug at his white dress shirt. Looking away from the report he was finalizing before he could leave for the day as promised.

"Hey, Monkey," the detective pulled her into a hug, "I promise I'm almost done and then we can go, okay?"

Grace motioned for her father to bend down. "Danno, can I tell you something?"

"Of course, Doodlebug."

The little girl laid her head against Danny's side. "I think Uncle Steve is sick."

The detective's gaze flicked to Steve who was at his desk in his office. "What makes you say that?"

"After Mommy dropped me off, I went into his office to give him a cookie and say hi. He didn't want a cookie."

Danny smiled. "Monkey, maybe he's just not hungry right now."

"But he always takes a cookie. And when I gave him a hug he made this weird little noise then…then he made this face," Grace scrunched her face up, "like I do when I have a really bad tummy ache."

He gave his daughter a one-armed squeeze. "I'm sure he's just fine, sweetheart."

"But, Danno, he feels really, really hot. Like when I had sunburn that one time."

Danny frowned. "Tell you what, munchkin, how about I go into his office and check, okay? I'll make sure he's okay then we can go. All right?"

Grace nodded quite solemnly for such a little girl.

"How about you visit with Kono while I check on the big guy, huh?" The detective raised an inquiring eyebrow at his Five-0 teammate who nodded in agreement and motioned for Grace to come over to her desk.

Danny knocked, opened McGarrett's office door, and crossed the threshold in almost one simultaneous motion. He crossed the room and stood in front of Steve's desk.

Steve looked up from the papers in front of him his expression carefully neutral. "You need something, Danny?"

"Gracie seems to think you're sick." He studied his partner silently, taking in his pale, almost gray, complexion and darkish circles around his eyes. His blue eyes had a glazed sheen to them.

"Nice of her to worry, but I'm fine." McGarrett gave an abbreviated shrug and dropped his gaze.

"Uh huh."

McGarrett shifted in his chair and grimaced ever so slightly. "I'm fine."

"Prove it."

Steve looked up in surprise. "What? How the hell would I do that?"

"I dunno. Get up and go get one of Gracie's cookies and eat it." As Danny suspected, McGarrett's face took on a green tinge. Yep, his partner was sick.

"Okay," Steve pushed back from his desk and stood, "fi—aghhh!" The nagging pain in Steve's belly suddenly crescendoed. His legs gave way and he sank toward the floor.

"Whoa, whoa—" Danny lunged forward in an attempt to catch his partner. "Hey…"

McGarrett's knees hit the hardwood floor with a thud. He curled forward, one arm around his stomach, the other planted firmly on the floor to keep himself semi-upright. His fingers were white against the wood.

Danny knelt next to his partner. "Tell me what's goin' on, big guy."

"D-Don't know. H-Hurts," Steve groaned, shuddered.

The blond detective dropped his hands on Steve's shoulders, steadying him. He could feel the heat radiating through the other man's navy blue T-shirt. "Ah, shit—man, Gracie was right; you're burning up."

"S-Sorry…"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Only you would be sorry for being sick."

"'s s-stup'd." Steve gasped, squeezed his eyes closed.

"Listen—why don't we get you lying down before you face plant the rest of the way." He helped Steve lay down on the floor, but the minute the taller man tried to straighten and lay flat, he cried out and curled into a fetal position on his side. Danny patted his back worriedly. "Okay, time for the experts." The detective reached for his cell phone but it wasn't hooked to his belt. He remembered then that it was on his desk hooked to the charger. He stood and hurried to the door. "Chin, call 9-1-1. Steve's sick—we need an ambulance."

Danny returned to his partner's side and was joined a few seconds later by Chin who had his cell phone pressed to his ear. After answering a few questions, Chin Ho disconnected. "They're on their way."

"Good."

Steve thrashed a bit as the pain continued to worsen. He swallowed against rising nausea.

Chin dropped to one knee next to his boss. "Easy, brah, easy. Help's on the way."

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

_**I am overwhelmed and quite humbled by the amazing response to this story. Thank you all so very, very much. I hope you continue to enjoy.**_

_**Vanessa**_

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Danny was glad to see the paramedics arrive less than ten minutes later. Despite their frequent bickering and his own ever-present exasperation with the former SEAL, Danny hated to see his partner in this kind of pain. He was equally appalled to see that Steve was gritting his teeth, biting back groans as he struggled to battle the betrayal of his body in silence.

Moving aside to allow the medics access, the detective rattled off what little he knew relating to Steve's condition, silently kicking himself for failing to notice something was wrong far earlier. He watched one of the paramedics, a big, bulky guy with dark blond hair; roll McGarrett onto his back rather roughly. The downed man grunted at the abrupt movement.

"Hey! Be careful!" Danny growled.

The other paramedic, Jimmy Kamaka, scowled at his own partner. "C'mon, Eddie, watch it." Jimmy turned to Danny apology written on his face. "Sorry, he's having a bad day."

Danny stepped forward and pointed at Eddie. "Yeah, well, Eddie, I'm sorry you're having a bad day but that's my partner you're manhandling and he is obviously having an even worse day. So I suggest you watch what you're doing from now on."

Eddie simply stared at him indifferently but his touch was slightly gentler when he went back to assessing Steve's condition. Despite those first rocky moments, the duo quickly had McGarrett prepped for transport. When they lifted him, however, to put him on the gurney, Steve tensed and bucked against the movement. As Eddie muttered a curse, Chin and Danny stepped forward at the same time and calmed the Lieutenant Commander enough for the paramedics to complete the action.

After confirming what hospital to which they were heading, Danny and Chin Ho watched the paramedics roll the gurney carrying Steve toward the exit and waiting ambulance. He ran a hand down his face and turned to his daughter who was sitting quietly next to Kono with worried expression on her face. In fact, Grace and Kono shared the exact same expression. Approaching them, the detective squatted in front of Grace. "Hey, Monkey."

Grace leaned forward and hugged her dad. "Danno, did I do a bad thing by telling you Uncle Steve was sick?"

"Nooo, no, Gracie. You did exactly the right thing, sweetie." Danny tugged one of her pigtails. "Uncle Steve _is_ sick and right now he's on his way to the hospital where they're gonna make him better." Danny stood and pulled her up into his arms. "Let's say we go make sure they do a good job of it, okay?"

"Okay."

Danny nodded at both Chin and Kono. "See you guys at the hospital."

_H50 * H50 * H50_

The paramedics rolled their patient into the emergency room and were directed to take him to the second cubicle down the hall on the right. Jimmy called out Steve's vitals and other pertinent information to the medical staff as they hurried down the hall.

Dr. Penny Hu nodded in understanding. "Okay, everyone, on three—one, two, three." The medical team smoothly transferred Steve from the transport gurney to the examination table. One of the nurses worked on cutting off McGarrett's cargo pants, underwear, and t-shirt while another pulled off his suede combat boots and socks. Everything went into a plastic drawstring bag. A surgical sheet was draped over Steve.

Steve stirred restlessly as numerous unknown hands pulled at him.

Dr. Hu called out orders for a series of standard tests, including a CBC and urinalysis. That done, she addressed her patient. "Mr. McGarrett, I'm Dr. Hu and I'll be taking care of you today. Can you tell me what's going on?"

"H-h-hurts."

"What hurts?"

"S-stomach."

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the pain?"

"T-twel—" he broke off with a gasp.

"Acute belly pain," called out to the room in general.

Steve groaned. "'m hot."

"Yeah, you've got a bit of a fever there. We'll see about that in a minute. In the meantime, let's see what's going on with your belly."

_H50 * H50 * H50_

Danny and Grace entered the emergency room and approached the information desk. He waited not-so-patiently for the receptionist to acknowledge him, shifting from foot to foot. Danny was just about to demand her attention when she finally looked up.

"Hi, may I help you?"

"Steve McGarrett. He was brought in about fifteen minutes ago in an ambulance."

"Are you family?"

"No," Danny pulled out his badge and presented it to the receptionist, "he's my partner, and I believe I _am_ listed as his emergency contact—Danny Williams."

The receptionist tapped away at her computer keyboard for a few seconds. "I'm sorry. I have no updates at this time other than that he's being examined in one of the treatment rooms."

"Nothing at all?"

"No, I'm sorry. But you can wait in the waiting room right over there and the doctor will be out to update you when possible. And while you wait if you could fill out these forms…"

Danny took the clipboard. "Great—paperwork. Just what I wanted to do. C'mon, Gracie, let's go have a seat while daddy tries to figure out how much he knows about Uncle Steve." Spying Chin and Kono coming through the sliding doors, he motioned for them to follow him to the waiting room.

_H50 * H50 * H50_

Penny pulled the blue surgical drape down until she exposed Steve's abdomen right above his pelvic region. She immediately noticed rigidity was present. Pressing down with her fingers on various areas of her patient's stomach, she moved in a clockwise fashion and wasn't at all surprised when McGarrett responded to pain each time she lifted her fingers. When she pressed and released Steve's lower left side, he arched off the exam table with a hoarse cry.

"Rebound tenderness. Positive Rovsing's sign."

Pulling the sheet further down, Dr. Hu placed a hand above Steve's right knee and asked him to flex his right hip against the resistance. "Does this make your side hurt worse?"

"Yeah," gasped McGarrett.

Next, the doctor raised his right leg and flexed his knee. Gripping his ankle, she rotated his hip internally. Again Steve's pain spiked and this time he cried out.

"Positive Psoas and Obturator signs."

"Hot appy, Doc?" The question came from head ER nurse, Linda Alt.

"Yeah. Super hot, I think." The doctor pulled the surgical sheet back over her patient. "Let's get a rectal and call for a STAT surgical consult." While one of the team went to the phone to call for the consult, Penny helped the nurses position Steve for the rectal exam, all the while explaining to her patient what they were doing and why. She began the exam and when Steve reacted immediately, crying out in agony, Dr. Hu became even more certain of her diagnosis. Pulling off her latex gloves, she stood and patted Steve's leg in comfort. She helped the nurses reposition Steve on the table. Drawing the sheet to his shoulders, she said, "Let's see if we can get those labs back STAT. And call Surgery back and let them know we're working on borrowed time. I'm going to go talk to the family."

Penny pulled aside the curtain and headed through the doors toward the waiting room. Crossing the threshold, she called out "Family of Steven McGarrett?"

Hearing the summons, Danny stood. "Stay right here, baby," Danny directed Gracie. Chin Ho and Kono rose as well and they all approached the doctor.

Penny introduced herself to each of the Five-0 team and shook their hands in turn. She quickly established their connections to her patient and could tell that each of the task force members was genuinely worried about their boss and friend. She was about halfway through explaining Steve's condition when Linda Alt entered the room and called her name.

"Dr. Hu?"

The doctor motioned her over. "Yes?"

Linda's gaze flicked to the Danny, Chin, and Kono.

"It's all right, go ahead," the doctor urged.

"Doctor, I thought you'd want to know that Mr. McGarrett indicates that he's no longer feeling that severe belly pain."

"Damn." The doctor rubbed her forehead. She turned to hurry from the room but was stopped by Danny's hand on her arm.

"Wait! His pain's gone. Isn't that good? Doesn't that mean he's getting better?"

The doctor regretfully shook her head. "No, it's not good at all. In fact, I'm afraid that's very, very bad." She hurried away, catching up to the head nurse. "Call Surgery. Tell them we're no longer working on borrowed time. We need to get him upstairs and into surgery immediately."

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

Dr. Hu returned to the exam room to find Steve attempting to sit up. She marched forward with a sigh and pushed a hand against his shoulder, effectively pushing him back down on the table.

"Easy there, Commander. You're not going anywhere."

"Doesn' hurt anymore," Steve muttered groggily. "I can go home now."

"It doesn't hurt because your appendix has most likely ruptured. You now have an urgent date with surgery in the very near future, Mr. McGarrett."

"Dr. Hu," called Linda holding the phone away from her ear, "All OR's are currently in use. Major pile up on the highway."

Penny grumbled and turned on her heel. "Sara," Penny addressed one of the nurses, "let's get IV antibiotics on board. Linda, get me Frank Emerson on the phone."

"Dr. Emerson?" the nurse's tone reflected some surprise.

"Yeah, he can be a bastard, but he the best around, and he can also ultimately get us where we need to be—hopefully sooner rather than later."

_H50 * H50 * H50_

Danny watched the doctor walk out of the waiting room, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He turned and walked back to where Grace was sitting and dropped down in the chair next to her. The little girl popped up on her knees and leaned toward him.

"Daddy?"

The use of "Daddy" instead of "Danno" startled the detective but clued him in on Grace's emotional state. He stared into her wide-eyed gaze.

"Yes, Gracie?"

"Is Uncle Steve going to die?"

"Ahh, hey, c'mere," Danny hooked his hands under her arms, lifted her over the arms of both chairs, and settled her in his lap. "No, sweetheart, Steve is not going to die."

"Are you sure?" she asked softly.

He put his arms around her and squeezed then kissed her forehead. "I'm sure. The doctor says he is very, very sick. But he is not going to die."

After nodding in approval, Grace was quiet for few minutes before saying, "I have to go to the bathroom."

Danny was about to stand and escort his daughter when Kono spoke.

"Hey, Danny, why don't I take her?" Kono shifted her attention to her teammate's daughter. "Afterward we could find the gift shop and look around then go get something to eat at the cafeteria. I bet you're hungry by now, huh, Grace?"

"Yeah. Me and Danno were going to get pizza."

Kono smiled, momentarily pushing aside her worry for her boss. "I bet they have pizza in the cafeteria. So what'd you say?"

Grace looked to her father for approval.

Danny nodded and smiled his thanks at Kono. Extracting his wallet from his back pocket, he handed Gracie money for the gift shop and Kono money for food, insisting when she tried to turn it down.

"Would you like me to bring you back something?"

The detective looked over at Chin Ho. "You want something? My treat."

"Yeah, sounds good," Chin responded, "Thanks."

"Just bring us back some sandwiches and coffee, I guess." Danny raised an eyebrow in Chin's direction, silently asking if that was okay. After the other task force member agreed, he thanked Kono and watched her walk out of the waiting room with his little girl.

The detective settled back in his chair with a sigh. He dropped his head and ran his hands through his hair leaving blond spikes sticking up at odd angles. "You know, I almost expect to end up here—either in this waiting room or one of those treatment rooms—when there are guns involved. Or knives. Baseball bats. High speed chases. But not this. Not for something like this."

"You're a lot more worried than you let on to Grace," Chin said.

"Yeah. Didn't like the look on the doc's face."

"I'm right there with you, brah."

Abruptly Danny stood. He began to pace. "How the hell did this happen?" he muttered, hands keeping time with his words. "He should've said something! But no, Super SEAL Steve had to be all stoic and SEAL-ish."

"You or I probably would've done the same," Chin observed.

Danny's hands flew to his hips. He opened his mouth, ready to argue the point but after a couple of seconds said, "Yeah, you're right. None of us like to admit when we're sick or hurt. Guess we're all too damn stubborn when it comes to that."

"Stubborn or stupid?"

Danny's mouth tilted up in a half smile. "Okay, you got me there. And none of us are going to change." He paused. "You know what really grinds me? What really grinds me is that he was so good—so good—at hiding it from us."

Chin offered up a half smile of his own. "I think they teach that at SEAL school."

"I bet they do. 'How to Hide Shit 101' or maybe 'Advanced Stoicism for the Everyday Super SEAL'," Danny began another circuit of the small room. "I should've noticed something though."

"Hey, it's not your fault any more than it is mine, Kono's, or even Steve's. He probably thought he had the flu or something. And you've gotta admit, it's been a weird week for us. Not much in the way of active investigating, just a load of paperwork and technical stuff. I mean, when were you last even in the car with Steve? Tuesday?"

"Yeah."

"So," Chin continued, "we know he's been in the office, and behind his desk, before we got in in the mornings and he's been staying until after we leave—maybe that in and of itself should've been a clue. But then again, it's not like Steve doesn't do that fairly routinely anyway…"

"Okay, okay," Danny dropped down in a chair again, scratched at the scruff on his chin. "I hear you…thanks."

Before Chin Ho could respond, Dr. Hu re-entered the room. "Detective Williams?"

Danny stood and walked toward her. "How's Steve?"

"It appears now that his appendix has ruptured. We're waiting now to get him up to surgery."

"Surgery? So he'll been fine after that then?"

Penny hesitated. "Unfortunately, once an appendix ruptures, there can be a number of serious complications. But," she held up a placating hand, "we'll worry about that after surgery. The priority now is to extract what's left of the appendix and clean out the infection. As soon as an operating room is available, we'll be sending him up. Detective, Commander McGarrett is asking to see you."

Danny followed the doctor down the hall and into the exam cubicle. He approached the table on which his partner lay, taking in his waxy complexion and fever-bright eyes. "Hey, you big lug, another fine mess you've gotten yourself into, huh?" the blond teased.

A ghost of a smile crossed Steve's face. "Yeah, even when I avoid trouble, I'm in trouble. Guess you're right," he paused and grimaced, "it is my middle name."

"You should've said something, man."

Steve shifted restlessly on the exam table. "Didn't know it was serious. Kinda thought it was just something I ate."

"Yeah, well, next time…"

"Listen, Danny, I—if—if something happens…you know, if something goes wrong, you'll call Mary, right? And make sure—" McGarrett broke off with a gasp and his hand clutched at his belly, "make sure—" he swallowed hard against a groan.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"S-stomach's really startin' to hurt 'gain."

Dr. Hu, who was standing on the other side of the exam table writing something in Steve's medical chart, closed the chart with a snap. She headed toward the telephone across the room. It surprised her when it rang just as her fingers made contact with the handset. She snatched it up. "This is Dr. Hu. Good. Good. OR 3? That's exactly what I needed to hear." She hung up, nudged the curtain aside and called a couple of names. She turned and approached Steve and Danny.

"Commander, you're heading to surgery immediately."

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4

After leaving the curtained cubicle so they could prep Steve for surgery, Danny returned to the waiting room to find Chin Ho paging disinterestedly through a bedraggled magazine. Slumping down in a chair, he muttered, "So what's new in Brangelina's world?"

Chin tossed the magazine aside. "Haven't got a clue. Didn't read a single word."

"Ahh, a man after my own heart. All pictures, all the time," Danny joked.

"Sometimes words are overrated," the other detective returned with a small smile. "How's Steve?"

"Looks like shit. Feels worse. They're moving him up to surgery in a few minutes."

_H50 * H50 * H50_

Bleary-eyed from pre-op drugs, Steve watched the ceiling tiles whiz by as they rolled him through the halls to the operating room. It was making him slightly dizzy but the sensation was worse if he closed his eyes so he kept his gaze locked overhead.

Once in the OR, Steve felt a number of unseen hands lift him, moving him from the gurney to the operating table. As his arms will pulled out to the sides and secured, the commander of Hawaii Five-0 felt a warmed blanket settle across his upper chest, beating back the extreme chill in the room. After a few more minutes of flurried activity, a mask settled over his mouth and nose and stark oblivion settled in between one deep breath and the next.

The surgeon, Joseph James Rutherford, 'J2' to his closest friends and 'Jo-Jim' to his enemies, approached the table, gloved hands in the air. He glanced at the anesthesiologist. "We ready?"

The anesthesiologist checked his monitors and gauges one final time before nodding. "Good to go."

Nodding, Dr. Rutherford requested a scalpel and made a two-inch incision in Steve's lower right abdomen several inches above the hipbone in a spot known as McBurney's point.

_H50 * H50 * H50_

A commotion at the door had Danny looking up expecting to see his daughter and Kono returning. It turned out to be members of another worried family seeking refuge. The grim-faced trio walked past the detectives and settled quietly in a far corner of the room. He watched them for a moment before returning his gaze to the floor. After a few minutes of silence save the continuous murmurs from the new arrivals, Danny's attention was again drawn to the doorway.

Grace hurried into the room carrying a bright blue plastic bag and crossed to her father. Kono followed with a plate of sandwiches and tall cardboard cups of coffee.

"Danno, Kono was right—they had pizza in the cafeteria."

Danny straightened in his chair. "I can see that." He pointed to a smear of pizza sauce on her pink shirt. "Was it good?"

"Uh huh."

"Better than Magoo's?"

"No way!" Grace shook her head emphatically.

"Good to know."

"And guess what—the cafeteria had ice cream too. I got chocolate and Kono got vanilla."

"That's my girl, chocolate all the way! So what's in the bag?"

Grace sat down in the chair next to him and opened the blue plastic bag emblazoned with the hospital's logo. Delving inside, she said, "I bought Uncle Steve a present!" The little girl pulled out a plush stuffed animal. It was a seal with lush black fur and a splash of sparkles throughout. Grace proudly held it up.

"You said Uncle Steve was a seal…so I thought he might like it. It says on the tag his name is Seymour the Seal."

Danny laughed. "Oh, I'm sure he will. Sparkles and all."

"They didn't have any super seals though," replied his daughter with a frown. "I looked."

Danny glanced up at Chin and Kono and grinned. He settled his gaze back on his daughter and pulled a pen from his shirt pocket. Taking hold of the stuffed animal, he scribbled on the tag then turned it around for Gracie to see. The detective had crossed out "Seymour the" and written in "Stevie Super" next to "Seal". _Stevie Super Seal._

"There. Now I think that's just perfect," he said.

"Me too," echoed Grace. "Can I go give it to him?"

"Ahh, no, Monkey. They had to take Steve to surgery to help make him better."

"Like when I had my tonsils out?"

"Yes, like that. So you know what—we'll wait till he's all tucked up in his room just like we did with you and then we'll give him your present, okay?"

The little girl nodded.

"So what else is in the bag?"

She reached into the bag and pulled out a book. "I bought 'Peter and the Sword of Mercy'." Grace held it up for his approval.

Danny whistled. "Wow. That's a thick book!"

"I know! But it's the next one in the series and you promised we could start reading it."

"I did, didn't I?" the detective mused, tapping his fingers against the tip of his nose. "Well, I tell you what, Doodlebug, Danno is gonna eat some of those sandwiches you brought back for him—_before Chin eats them all I might add_—and drink my coffee then you and I can dive in to Peter's newest adventure."

"All right. Oh," Grace reached back into her plastic bag, "I brought you and Uncle Chin candy bars!"

"Well, thank you, Gracie," said Chin around a bite of turkey and bread, "Look at that, now we have dessert!"

_H50 * H50 * H50_

After attempting to locate the appendix with his finger without success, Joe muttered an expletive under his breath and widened the incision. "It's a mess in there. Gimme some suction so I can see." The surgical nurse quickly complied with his request. Once the blood and pus was suctioned away, Joe was able to visualize the ruptured appendix along with the other abdominal organs.

"Haven't seen one this bad in a good long while.

He examined the surrounding organs for abnormalities before turning his attention to the appendix. Joe pulled it up into the wounds. As he worked to separate the appendix from the surrounding tissues and tie off what was left of the appendage with a fisherman's knot, he observed, "Looks like we might want to excise a little of the surrounding tissue as well."

Knot completed, the surgeon looked at the anesthesiologist. "How're we doing, Ben?"

The anesthesiologist checked the monitors. He started to speak then hesitated, a slight frown marring his forehead for a split second. The frown quickly disappeared. "We're doing good."

_H50 * H50 * H50_

Danny closed the book he and Grace had been taking turns reading out loud when they reached the end of the second chapter. Stifling a yawn, he said, "Okay, kiddo, I probably should get you home. It's long past time for little girls to be in bed."

"You always let me stay up late when Mommy and Step-Stan spend a weekend in Maui."

"I know. But not when it means sitting in a hospital waiting room."

"Hey, Danny, if Grace doesn't mind, why don't I just take Grace home with me?" offered Kono, "Since it's a Friday night, we can have a mini slumber party."

Grace responded with enthusiasm.

_H50 * H50 * H50_

"Hey, Joe," called Ben after checking their patient's vitals once again, "are you finishing up any time soon?"

"I'm tying off the stub now. Need to do a thorough saline rinse of the abdominal cavity to clean it out and place the drain. Why?"

"You might want to speed things up a little. His blood pressure's dropping more than I like to see."

TBC…

* * *

I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and didn't find it boring!

Vanessa


	5. Chapter 5

"_Mr. McGarrett? Steve. C'mon, now. It's time to wake up."_

Steve heard the voice summoning him from a distance. On some instinctual level, he knew he needed to crawl across the endless black void to reach it, but he felt incredibly weary—too weary in fact to try even if the voice sounded so pleasant and somehow soothing.

"_Time to wake up, Mr. McGarrett. Come on—open those gorgeous blue eyes for me."_

He wanted to listen to the soft yet insistent voice calling for him, wanted desperately to open his eyes, and even sensed it was somehow important to obey, but his eyelids felt leaden. As did his limbs. Even his fingers felt weighted. He swallowed then moaned slightly as even that was too much effort. McGarrett felt a light touch on his shoulder. The warmth felt good against his chilled skin.

"_BP's still a little low._ _His temp's at 36.5°C. He's shivering pretty hard. Let's get another blanket on him. Watch his O2 levels and heart rate. C'mon, Steve, open your eyes for me right now."_

The urge to comply, to leave behind this all-encompassing black hole, had McGarrett struggling to pull his eyelids apart. Unfortunately, the minute he got them halfway open, another sudden urge overshadowed all else as bile rushed up his esophagus. He moaned, unable to control the purge. Acidic bile inexorably pushed past his lips and some remote part of him was acutely embarrassed.

"_He's vomiting. Here, Julie—hold the emesis basin. Let's get some additional anti-emetics on board."_

Still weak and tired of fighting this seemingly impenetrable post-op fog, Steve quit fighting the black void and let it pull him back under.

_H50 * H50 * H50_

"The family of Steven McGarret?" Joe Rutherford inquired as he stepped into the waiting room. He pulled off his elasticized cap and ran his fingers through his close-cropped dark hair. Two sets of eyes immediately locked on him as he stopped just over the threshold. A blond man around his own age rose from his seat and approached.

Danny eyed the tired-looking doctor decked out in rumpled blue scrubs, attempted to read his body language. "Detective Danny Williams, Commander McGarrett's next of kin."

Joe's gaze flicked to the man standing just behind the detective.

Seeing this, Danny continued, "This is another member of our Hawaii Five-0 Special Task Force. Chin Ho Kelly. Other than a sister on the mainland, we're the only family Steve's got."

"I'm Dr. Rutherford, Commander McGarrett's surgeon. He's out of surgery and in the PACU."

Danny's eyes narrowed. "PACU?"

"The Post Anesthesia Care Unit."

"You mean the recovery room."

The corner of Joe's mouth ticked upward. He liked the detective's straightforwardness. "Yes, the recovery room."

"And? Don't keep us in suspense here, Doc. Is Super SEAL gonna be okay?"

Confused, Joe glanced between the two detectives. "Super Seal?"

It was Chin who answered. "Sorry, inside joke. Is Steve going to be all right?"

"He should be fine," the surgeon hesitated for a split second. "Once he leaves the PACU, we'll send him to a room on the general surgical floor."

Danny noticed the hesitation and pounced on it. "You hesitated—there something you're not telling us?"

Joe rubbed the back of his neck. "They're having some trouble getting your commander to come around in the recovery room." The doctor held up a forestalling hand. "It's not uncommon. As of this moment, there is nothing to be overly concerned about. Our main concern now is the very real risk that he might develop peritonitis because the appendix ruptured before we were able to operate. We'll keep him on antibiotic therapy to try to combat that possibility."

"How long will he be here?"

"At least four days, longer if complications develop."

"Can I see him?"

"He'll be in recovery for a while yet and visiting hours are technically over…" Seeing a challenge forming in the detective's eyes, Rutherford hurried on, "but I'll make special arrangements with the staff for a short visit."

Danny nodded in satisfaction.

"I'll have the nurse come and get you once he's settled into a room."

_H50 * H50 * H50_

Steve roused to the disconcerting sensation of someone staring at him. It had happened three times so far since he'd finally come around in the recovery room and been moved to a room. Twice it had been the surgeon; the last a nurse, and it freaked him out each time. He reluctantly pried his eyes open, lethargy still pulling at him with an inviting seduction.

Turning his head, McGarrett blinked heavily and brought Danny into focus. He was completely surprised to see his partner of all people parked in a chair next to his bed. "H-Hey…" he rasped around a tongue that felt far too thick, "what're you doin' here?" The words were rather garbled but apparently his partner understood.

"'Bout damn time, McGarrett." The words were gruff but there was no mistaking the look of relief in the detective's eyes.

The lieutenant commander cleared throat and winced. "Wha' time is it?"

"Middle of the night. Why?"

"You should be home with Grace," Steve rasped.

A spoon containing an ice chip appeared in front of his lips, and Steve gratefully accepted the frozen moisture. He relished the cool, wet feel as it soothed his dry mouth and throat.

"Kono took Grace home with her for the night."

A second ice chip followed the first without him even having to ask. Nodding in thanks, he shifted on the bed, felt the not-so-painful tug of his new incision. "Heh. Doesn't hurt—must have me on the good stuff."

"No doubt."

Steve's eyelids drifted to half-mast, fatigue quickly settling in. "You shouldn't have stayed."

"Why not? Chin and Kono were here too."

"Messed up your special time with Grace. Sorry."

"Gracie and I still had some special time," responded Danny. He lifted his arms and made a sweeping motion with his hands. "We just had it in a different…venue. A place only slightly smaller than my apartment."

"Still…"

"Hey," said Danny, cutting off his partner's further protests, "speaking of Grace—she bought you a present."

Steve blinked and forced himself to a bit more awareness. "She did?"

"Yeah." Danny pulled the stuffed seal from its bag and handed it to Steve. "Here."

McGarrett took hold of the stuffed animal. "What the…hey…it's a seal. With…are those sparkles?"

Danny laughed at the expression on the lieutenant commander's face. "She's heard me say you were a SEAL…"

One side of Steve's mouth tipped up in a grin.

"I renamed him for you." Danny pointed to his earlier handiwork.

"Stevie Super SEAL. Gee, thanks…I think."

"Hey, that's what partners are for, right?" Danny glanced at his watch. "Listen, I think the nurse is just about to come around and do her thing again so I'm gonna go. I'll be back tomorrow."

"'kay. Tell Grace I said thanks." Steve watched Danny exit the room then laid his head back and closed his eyes. His hand tightened around the stuffed animal as he drifted off to sleep.

TBC…


	6. Chapter 6

I apologize profusely for the delay in posting this. I had a mini health concern last week that totally knocked things for a loop. Then when I got back to writing this chapter I got completely stuck. That finally resolved itself. So I really hope you all like this chapter despite my misgivings.

Vanessa

* * *

Steve appeared to be dozing when Danny entered his room in early afternoon the next day. The detective approached the bed but hesitated, debating whether or not to stay. Before Danny could decide though, Steve stirred slightly.

When his partner's eyes slowly opened and drifted in his direction, he said, "Hey, Sleeping Beauty wakes!"

Steve cleared his throat and rasped, "Thank God—at least it's you this time."

Danny's brow wrinkled in confusion. "What?" He pulled up a chair and sat down.

"I keep waking up to find people staring at me," Steve groused, "It's creepy."

"So random people are so mesmerized by your self-defined incredible handsomeness that they're stopping to stare, huh?" Danny quipped.

The lieutenant commander scowled and shifted on the bed in an unsuccessful attempt to find a comfortable position. The hand not burdened with an IV drifted to his stomach and he grimaced. "You know what I mean—doctors, nurses…"

"Isn't that kind of like—oh, I dunno—_their_ jobs?"

"Yeah, well, they could let me know they're there instead of sneaking in and staring at me."

"I see they brought you the breakfast of champions," the detective jutted his chin toward the small rolling table at the side of the bed. Next to Steve's stuffed seal sat a tray containing a tiny bowl of lime gelatin and a cup of apple juice. Both were untouched.

Steve glanced at the food but quickly looked away with a grunt. "Don't remind me." Again his hand went to his stomach. "I've been avoiding looking at it since she brought it earlier about five minutes after I finally stopped puking from the anesthesia." He swallowed hard and turned a shade paler.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," Steve responded automatically then he reconsidered, "No…I dunno. Stomach hurts."

His partner's honesty was disconcerting for Danny who'd expected him to prevaricate as he usually did when it came to his health. "Well, you did just have abdominal surgery…" he offered.

"Yeah, feels different though," Steve paused, "God, not again," he moaned. Steve swallowed hard then reached for the emesis basin on the tray. Pulling it toward him, he just managed to get it into place before he started to dry heave.

"Uh…I'm going to go…find someone… I'll be right back," Danny muttered and left the room. He returned several long minutes later with an impossibly young-looking nurse in tow. Pointing at his still suffering partner, Danny declared, "See! I told you something's wrong."

The nurse, Janine according to her nametag, quickly approached the bedside. "Okay, Mr. McGarrett, let's see what we've got going on here. Detective Williams, can you wait outside, please."

Not having to be told twice, Danny stepped into the hallway. Worry had him rocking from heel to toe as he waited. When the nurse stepped out of the room a few minutes later, he pounced. "Well? Is he okay? What's going on?"

"He's showing some signs of infection. I need to put a call in to his doctor to see how he'd like to proceed. It may be as simple as a switch of his antibiotics. Unfortunately, I also need to insert an NG tube as he's having a bit of a complication from the surgery."

"Complication?"

"It's known as paralytic ileus. His gut's a little unhappy at being disturbed so we're going to remedy that. Hopefully, the NG tube will wake things up a little bit. You can sit with him until I come back if you'd like."

Danny nodded and re-entered the room, resuming his place in the highly uncomfortable chair next to the bed. His partner looked terrible—pale, clammy, and still nauseated—and Danny felt a twinge of sympathy. "You ever have one of these before—the NG tube thing?"

Steve shook his head. "No, never had the pleasure," he grumbled.

"I have. Look, don't sweat it. It's a piece of cake. Like 1-2-3 and it's done."

The lieutenant commander scowled in his direction. "Liar."

"Me? Lie? Never," snarked the detective.

McGarrett snorted in clear disbelief.

"Okay, maybe sometimes. Like, say—now. But you're right, getting one of these sucks but—"

Danny's comment was cut off by the return of the nurse. He carefully avoided looking at the supplies she carried, still remembering in detail his own long-ago unpleasant ordeal. He stood and made a beeline for the door. "I'll be back when she's done."

Steve watched in trepidation as Janine laid out the supplies needed for the procedure. Tape. Towels. A rubber band and gloves followed by a curved basin and a safety pin. To this array she added an irrigating syringe, water-soluble lubricant, and the NG tube itself. With each item, Steve's apprehension grew. It wasn't so much that he was scared; it was more that this contact was too intimate, too invasive. And most definitely not under his control. That fed his apprehension.

Janine looked at him and smiled. She patted his knee. "Don't worry. It'll be okay. I've done a lot of these." She filled a small plastic glass with water. "Now let's get you sitting up a little more here." Janine sought out the button controlling the bed and raised the head of the bed up as far as it would go. That done, she snapped on a pair of latex gloves. "All right, let's get started. I'll explain what I'm doing as I go." She handed him the cup of water.

Steve shifted nervously and decided she was way too perky for his liking. He bit his lip as he watched her take measurements for the length of the tube. He tapped a finger on the bed railing while she inspected his nose with a flashlight and decided which nostril to use, informing him along the way that his _nares_ were about equal in size so it really didn't matter. He watched her coat lubricant on the NG tube. And he watched her approach him with it in hand, and he tensed, resisting the ridiculous urge to close his eyes.

"Now once I start feeding the tube, I want you to swallow. Take small sips of the water if that's easier…"

_H50 * H50 * H50_

Ten minutes later, a slightly-flustered Janine exited McGarrett's room and nodded to Danny who was leaning against the wall nearby. "X-Ray will be in to confirm placement of the tube soon, but you can go in now. Watch out though," she paused and ruefully pursed her lips, "he's a little cranky at the moment."

"Why am I not surprised?" Danny walked into the room and whistled long and low at the thundercloud expression gracing Steve's face. "Yikes! That's some black cloud you've got hanging over your head there!"

"Yeah, well," rasped McGarrett, "I just had a garden hose shoved up my nose and down my throat. Twice."

"Twice?"

"Well, once and a half."

Danny grimaced in sympathy but said, "And I bet you called that nice nurse a nasty name, didn't you?"

Steve scowled. "I told her she was a sadist."

"Now that wasn't very nice, Steven. You should apologize."

McGarrett's glower deepened. "Then she said she was sending Olaf right over to give me a sponge bath."

Danny laughed. "Olaf? I think I really like that nurse. Look, all this," Danny motioned with his hands, "I know it sucks right now, but all this should make you feel better, and just think in a few days you'll be back to your normal everything's-rainbows-and-unicorns outlook on life."

A one-fingered salute was Steve's only comeback to Danny's accustomed sarcasm. But it was followed by the slightest of smiles as Steve laid his head back and closed his eyes.

TBC…


	7. Chapter 7

"No."

"Mr. McGar—"

"No," Steve said again, a mulish expression settling on his face. He crossed his arms over his chest, jostling the NG tube and he grimaced. "It's bad enough I've gotta lug all this around—" he motioned toward the IV pole and other paraphernalia, "while I shuffle along. I'm not doing it with my ass hanging out."

The nurse sighed. They'd been having this argument for several minutes. "We need to—"

"Seriously? You're seriously giving the nurse a hard time right now, Steven?" drawled Danny from the doorway, "You do know they're in charge of the needles around here, don't you?" He walked the rest of the way into the room.

Steve shot him a glare then did a double take, cataloging some fresh bruises and a split lip on his partner. They certainly hadn't been there when Danny had visited earlier in the day. "What happened to you?"

Danny eased down onto the edge of the nearby chair. He waved a hand dismissively. "Eh. We caught a case after I left earlier."

"A case?" Steve pushed back the bedcovers and struggled to sit up, "What happened?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where do you think you're going?"

"You said we had a case," muttered Steve, ignoring the pain flaring in his gut.

"We as in me, Chin, and Kono. Not you—Mr. I-had-surgery-less-than-24-hours-ago. Thirty seconds ago you were giving this lovely young lady here a hard time about even getting out of bed and now you're ready to jump up and work a case?"

"Yes. And I was only giving her a hard time because of this too-short, too-flimsy hospital gown they want me to parade up and down the hallway in." McGarrett's feet touched the floor but he was momentarily too dizzy to even think of trying to stand.

"Well, the only place you're going to be going IS up and down the hallway."

"Danny…" growled Steve.

Ignoring his partner for a moment, Danny turned his attention to the nurse. "I apologize for my partner's unreasonableness—imagine having to work with him every day," Danny could feel Steve's glare burning into his back, "Would it be possible to bring him a pair of scrubs—the pants, I mean," he asked her very sweetly. "Apparently, he's a little shy," he joked.

The nurse smiled. "I think I can manage that. I'll be right back."

The detective turned back to Steve. "See what happens when you're pleasant to people, big guy?"

Steve just scowled and attempted to stand. "Danny…"

Danny rested a hand on his shoulder, debating for a moment whether to push him back down on the bed or steady him. He finally chose the latter, his grip tightening as Steve swayed slightly. "Wow. You're right. Those gowns don't work well on tall people, do they? Should've brought a camera."

The lieutenant commander huffed out a breathy chuckle. "Only if you wanna go home with a broken camera. Wait till the next time you have to wear one of these damn things."

"Yeah, well, hanging around you, there's a high probability of that happening sometime soon," Danny retorted, "Now, here's the deal—I will tell you about the case—maybe even ask for your input—but only if you cooperate."

"But…"

"Uh uh. No buts. You cooperate or I keep you in the dark AND tell the nurse to forget the scrubs."

"That's blackmail!"

"Yep."

Steve sighed in defeat. "Fine."

"Good."

The nurse returned with a pair of light blue scrub pants and helped Steve don them; taking care to make sure they didn't interfere with his surgical wound.

"There. You're ready to go," she said, "Now hang on to your IV pole and roll it with you. Once or twice up and down the hallway or around the nurses' station. That's all. Don't push yourself too hard."

"Don't worry," assured Danny, "I'll make sure he behaves."

The nurse winked. "Good. And when you get back, we'll change the packing in your wound."

"Oh, joy," muttered Steve, grumpily.

The pair headed out the door, moving slowly as Steve could do little more than shuffle. Try as he might, Steve was unable to stand completely straight as he surgically-abused stomach muscles protested fiercely every time he tried. Disgusted with himself, Steve settled for the hunched over posture of an old man. "So, tell me about this case…"

"The governor wants us to investigate the murder of one Taaveti Tanely…"

"The lounge singer?"

"Thaaat would be him. So you've heard of him."

"Yeah. I've been to one of his shows."

"Seriously? A lounge singer in a peach leisure suit—doesn't seem like your style."

"Eh. It's a long story. Details?"

Danny shared what information they'd gathered so far. By the time he finished, they'd reached the end of the short hallway. They turned around and headed in the opposite direction.

Steve opened his mouth to ask a question when a voice interrupted them.

"Ain't easy to walk around hauling all this stuff, is it, son?"

The voice belonged to an elderly gentleman who was approaching them, wheeling his own IV pole.

Steve summoned a ghost of a smile. "No, sir, it sure isn't."

"Least you managed to get a pair'a pants in the deal," the old man winked, "Sure wish I would've thought'a that. 'Course I ain't got nothin' these young'uns wanna see." The elderly man chuckled as he passed. "Good luck now, ya hear?"

"You too, sir."

Steve and Danny continued their trek down the hallway. After a few more steps, McGarrett came to a stop, suddenly tired. His muscles were quivering. He mentally cursed his weakness.

"You ready to go back to your room?" asked Danny.

McGarrett shook his head. "No. Let's keep going." He shambled forward. "So how'd you end up with a split lip and the bruises?"

"Oh, that…well, one of Mr. Tanely's bodyguards might've taken exception to something I said."

Steve snorted. "Well, there's a surprise. Wait—bodyguards? Why does some third-tier lounge singer need bodyguards?"

"Ahh, therein lies the mystery. Or one of them anyway."

Stopping again, Steve pulled in a breath and resisted the urge to lean against the wall for support. Exhaustion and leftover fogginess from the anesthesia kept him from offering anything coherent. He rubbed a hand down his face.

Seeing this, Danny turned Steve around and nudged him back toward his room. "Time to head back."

They reached the room and Danny helped Steve crawl back into bed. Shortly thereafter, the nurse arrived, supplies in hand to re-dress Steve's surgical incision. She pushed the gown aside and began gently unpacking the wound.

Danny paled as he watched. He wasn't squeamish about blood, or other bodily fluids for that matter. But, he had to admit, the gaping hole in Steve's abdomen freaked him out a little. "Okay then. I'm…I'm going to…ahh…go." Danny pointed to the door. "Chin and Kono both said they'd be by later. So, umm, call me—you know—if you need anything."

TBC…


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: _All Hands _Magazine is the Official Magazine of the U.S. Navy.

* * *

Steve sighed and thumbed through the last few pages of the _Guns & Ammo_ magazine before tossing it aside. He'd read it through cover-to-cover three times already since Chin had brought it to him the night before. The same was true for the _All Hands_ magazine, graciously provided by Kono, sitting on the wheeled tray table next to the Get Well card that had arrived earlier from the governor.

He reached for the second magazine anyway and began to page apathetically through its glossy pages. After a few minutes, McGarrett gave up and tossed the Navy magazine on top of the other beside him. He sighed, eyed the blank TV mounted in his corner of the room, and quickly disregarded the notion. Instead Steve reached for the phone sitting on the two-drawer stand near the bed. He quickly dialed Danny's number. After two rings his partner picked up.

"_Yes, Steven."_

"How'd you know it was me?"

"_Other than the inexcusable fact that you've already called me three times before this and it's not even nine o'clock in the morning—let's call it a wild guess."_

"Anything new on the case?"

"_No. Like I told you the other three times you called; there is nothing new—yet—on the murder of our lugubrious lounge singer."_

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Lugubrious? Really?"

"_Hey, it was the Word of the Day on my calendar a few days ago. It fits."_

"So, did you check with…"

"_Oh, no."_

"Did you talk to…"

"_No!"_ exclaimed Danny, _"We are not doing this. I told you earlier, we've got this covered, McGarrett. __**You**__ are in the hospital—recovering from major surgery. Capiche?"_

"But…"

"_Uh uh."_

"Fine," growled McGarrett. He hung up the phone.

_*H50* *H50* *H50*_

Danny hit the End button on his cell phone and shoved it back in his pocket, ruefully shaking his head. He rested against the edge of the table where they'd been perusing what little evidence they currently had and glanced at Chin and Kono.

"Bossman, huh?" murmured Kono with a smile.

"Yeah," Danny replied, running a finger over his bottom lip.

"He must be goin' _pupule_ not being here on the case," offered Chin.

"If _pupule_ means crazy then yeah."

Kono's cell rang at that moment and she quickly retrieved it from her pocket. Frowning at the unfamiliar number, she hit the talk button.

"Kono Kalakaua."

"_Kono…"_

Kono's eyes sought Danny's. "Oh, hey Boss!" She listened for a moment. "No, no—nothing new. Uh huh. No. Really—I swear. Nope, I promise. See you later." She hung up.

"So now he's pumping you for information," observed Danny.

"Yep." Kono waggled her phone before dropping it down on the table.

Danny's gaze zeroed in on Chin Ho. "You think he'll try you next?"

Chin grinned. "If I was a betting man, brah, I'd have to go with yes."

The trio waited, almost with bated breath, for Chin's cell phone to ring. When several minutes passed with no call, the task force members gave a collective sigh.

"Maybe he gave up," said Chin.

"Or a hot nurse came in to take his temperature," muttered Danny. He caught Kono's eye roll and had the grace to blush a little. He shrugged. "Or Olaf came back to give him another sponge bath."

Most of another minute passed.

"Huh. There's a first time for everything," said Danny.

Chin's phone rang.

"Or not," continued Danny with a sigh as Chin answered.

"Hey, Steve…"

_*H50* *H50* *H50*_

McGarrett hung up his hospital phone with a curse, not enjoying being confounded at every turn. He crossed his arms over his chest, laid his head back, and locked his gaze on the ceiling. After a couple of minutes, the lieutenant commander searched out the call button and pressed it firmly with his thumb.

He smiled his most charming smile when the nurse arrived. "Hi. Callie, right? Callie. Beautiful name." He ignored her rolling her eyes and continued on. "Callie, can you tell me, is there a library around here I can use? Or better yet, a computer?"

"I'm afraid not, Mr. McGarrett. We have volunteers that can provide you with a book or magazine if you'd like."

"No, no. I really need to do a little research. Are you sure…"

Callie's expression became slightly sterner. "Your partner warned me about you, Commander. I can see he wasn't exaggerating in the least. Your goal right now is too get better, _not_ to worry about some case."

"But…"

The nurse checked his NG tube and IV then quickly began to run through his vitals while she was there. "Your oxygen sats are a little low. I think you're a bit too slouched here. Let's get you sitting up a bit." Callie helped him adjust so he was sitting up a little higher in the bed. Afterward, she eyed the monitor again then nodded in satisfaction. "That's better."

A voice in the doorway drew hers and McGarrett's attention.

"Well, hello there again, young man."

Steve smiled. "Hey. We met yesterday, right? In the hallway."

"How about I let you two visit for a while," said Callie, "Maybe it'll do you both some good."

The old man shuffled into the room. "We did indeed pass in the hallway yesterday. However, we did not formally meet. Selvin Taylor, at your service." Selvin stuck out his hand.

"Steve McGarrett." Steve shook the elderly gentleman's proffered hand. "Nice to meet you, sir."

Selvin eased down into the chair. "Was out making my rounds. Happened to see you as I walked by. Thought I'd stop and say hello."

"I'm glad you did, sir."

"Sir?" the old man chuckled, "Military?"

"Yes, sir."

"Navy?"

"Yes, sir."

"I knew it," Selvin's rheumy brown eyes lit with a spark, "Can always tell another Navy man when I see 'im. And you can stop with the sir, young Mr. McGarrett."

"You were in the Navy?"

"Indeed. Saw action way back during the Korean War."

"Ah, The Forgotten War," Steve nodded his head. "Were you there for the duration?"

"Nearly so." Selvin raised a bushy eyebrow. "How 'bout you, son?"

"Afghanistan."

"A right scary place."

"Yes, sir."

"So are you on leave?"

"No, sir. I'm in the Navy Reserve. I head up a special police task force here in Hawaii now. At Governor Jameson's request."

The old man whistled. "Impressive." Selvin spied the current issue of _All Hands_ on Steve's bed. He pointed. "May I?" At Steve's nod, he reached for the magazine. "_All Hands_? Haven't seen one of these in years. Used to collect them, you know. Got to be too much eventually, but I still have some old issues. Dating back to January 1945, I think."

McGarrett smiled. "I'd love to see them sometime."

Selvin began to page through the magazine. "Anytime, son. When we're both recovered and…"

Steve frowned when Selvin's voice abruptly trailed off. "Are you okay, sir?"

Selvin moaned.

The lieutenant commander saw the old man's eyes roll up, and he slumped forward in the chair, heading toward the floor. Acting on instinct, Steve pushed aside the blankets and leapt from his bed in one motion, ignoring the IV as it ripped from his arm and the pain that flared in his gut. He dived toward Selvin Taylor, knees thudding hard on the linoleum as he reached out and grabbed the elderly man, cushioning his fall only slightly.

"Help! I need help in here!"

TBC…


	9. Chapter 9

Steve shifted on the floor, pulling Selvin closer to him. "Hang on, buddy," he muttered. He sucked in a breath to call once more for help, the soft squeak of rubber-soled shoes alerted him to the fact that someone had finally arrived. Steve threw a look over his shoulder at the nurse, blue eyes filled with worry. "I-I don't know what happened. He was just sitting there and then slumped over."

The nurse nodded in understanding, called for additional help, and hurried into the room. Kneeling next to the two men, she automatically began to assess the situation.

As several other medical personnel poured into his room, someone gripped Steve's shoulders in an attempt to pull him away from the elderly man. McGarrett tensed for a split second before reluctantly allowing himself to be helped to his feet and guided back over to his bed.

His gaze still focused on the drama occurring on the floor of his room, Steve murmured to the presence at his side, "Is he going to be okay?"

"I don't know, Mr. McGarrett. But he's in good hands. Now let's get you taken care of, okay?"

Recognizing the voice of the nurse, Callie, who'd been in just a little while ago, Steve turned his attention to her. "What? Me? I'm fine. You should be helping Selvin."

"I wouldn't exactly say fine. You're bleeding."

Steve looked at his arm, where the IV puncture was still bleeding sluggishly, and dismissed it with a wave. "It's just the IV site."

Callie shook her head. "A little more than that I'm afraid." She pointed to his abdomen. "You've aggravated your incision."

McGarrett glanced down at his stomach, blinking nonplussed at the blood showing on the front of his hospital gown. "Oh."

The nurse pushed his surgical gown up so she could exam his incision. She clucked her tongue. "Why on earth didn't you use the call button?"

Steve shrugged. "Dunno." He bit his lip and ignored the sudden throb of his incision as he concentrated once again on the flurry of activity surrounding the elderly man to whom he'd so recently been introduced.

Callie finished re-packing the wound, re-established his IV in a new position having placed a band-aid over the original puncture then checked his vital signs, frowning at blood pressure readings. "I'm going to place a call to your surgeon. He should be by in a little while to check you over. In the meantime, I want you to rest. That's an order."

Steve watched with a troubled frown as the medical team wheeled Selvin from the room. As the nurse turned to leave, McGarrett reached out and grabbed her sleeve. "You'll let me know?"

Her expression softened. "Yes, of course." The nurse exited the room, the door whooshing shut behind her.

Steve shifted on the bed, his whole body aching. Between one moment and the next, the recent excitement caught up with him and exhaustion crashed over him like a tsunami. His eyes drifted shut and he sank into oblivion.

_*H50* *H50* *H50*_

Sometime later, Steve came awake with a start at the touch of fingers on his abdomen. He tensed briefly then relaxed when he realized where he was and that it was the surgeon standing over him just starting to exam his incision.

"Hey, doc…" He rasped.

Dr. Rutherford paused long enough to offer a greeting before continuing his exam. After another minute, Joe re-packed the incision with gauze and covered it with a sterile pad. He stepped back and snapped off his latex gloves, tossing them into a nearby bin. Joe smiled down at McGarrett and ruefully shook his head. "You do realize that performing acrobatics like flying out of one's bed is not recommended post-op protocol, don't you?"

The corner of Steve's mouth tipped up. "Yeah, yeah. I know."

"You're lucky. Right now there's no sign of an incisional hernia. BUT no more heroic acrobatics. I want you to take it easy the rest of the day. Got it?"

Steve nodded halfheartedly. "So, doc, when can I get rid of this?" He fingered the NG tube.

The surgeon pulled his stethoscope from around his neck, inserted the earpieces in his ears, and bent low to listen for bowel sounds. A pleased smile crept over his face. Straightening, he said, "Looks like your gut is finally starting to wake up. I think that can come out later today."

"Good."

"Don't be too happy," teased the surgeon, "That means you'll have to start eating hospital food."

Steve grimaced. "Ugh. Good point."

Dr. Rutherford turned to leave the room.

"Hey, Doc, I don't suppose you know anything about Mr. Taylor—the elderly guy?"

"No, sorry, I don't. I'll ask a nurse to let you know."

After the doctor left, Steve contemplated calling Danny even allowed himself to reach for the phone before deciding against it. Heaving a bored sigh, he grabbed the TV remote instead, surfing through the limited channels, Steve managed to find a documentary on World War II and settled in to watch.

_*H50* *H50* *H50*_

Later in the evening, a noise in his doorway caught Steve's attention turning it from the unappetizing meal of pasty macaroni and cheese and stewed tomatoes he was merely pushing around on his plate. Half expecting it to be his partner, Steve was pleasantly surprised to see Selvin in the doorway albeit in a wheelchair.

"Selvin!"

Wheeling himself into the room, the elderly man returned the greeting. "I hear you helped me out earlier, young man."

"Eh, it was nothing." McGarrett made a dismissive motion with his hand.

"Well, it was something to me."

"I'm glad to see you're okay."

"Yeah, I'm a tough old bird. Turns out it was a bad reaction to some new medication they put me on. I'll be fine. But they stuck me in this contraption for a few days."

"Sorry to hear that."

"Ah, I'll survive. In the meantime, I thought we could do with a little entertainment." Selvin held up a pack of playing cards.

Eager for distraction, Steve pushed aside his uneaten food. "I'm in. What're you thinking? Rummy? Double solitaire?"

Selvin rolled his eyes. "Oh, please—don't insult this old Navy man. I'm thinking poker."

Steve's eyes lit up. "Texas Hold 'Em or Three Card Stud?"

"How about some Lame Brain Pete?"

McGarrett grinned. "You're on!"

Poker became their way of life over the next few days, occasionally pulling Danny in on their lively competition. They played for spare change, but by the time Steve left the hospital a week later, he owed Selvin nearly thirty bucks. Steve didn't mind though, because Danny owed him more than that.

TBC…


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Well, here we are at the end of this one. Many, many thanks to all of you who have read and reviewed. I hope this last chapter satisfies.

Vanessa

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? ARE YOU INSANE?"

The bellow caught Steve off guard, and he jerked in surprise causing the ladder under his feet to wobble. His hand flew down to steady himself and he tossed a glare over his shoulder at Danny. "What?" he muttered, his tone half-defiant, half-innocent.

Adjusting his volume only slightly, Danny said, "You're on a ladder nailing up a piece of trim!"

Steve put the hammer he was holding down on the small ladder shelf before slowly making his way down the steps. "And?"

"AND? And you just got out of the hospital YESTERDAY!"

The lieutenant commander shrugged. "Yeah, and they said to gradually resume normal activities."

"Gradually. G-R-A-D-U-A-L-L-Y. I don't think that means ladder-climbing and home repairs." Danny's hands landed on his hips, but didn't rest there for long. They never did. "Need I remind you that you still have a hole—a HOLE—in your side?"

Steve shuffled over to the couch and eased down, his hand pressed against the bandaged "hole". "No, trust me, you don't have to remind me. But it's healing so I'm good. Besides I needed something to do."

"What happened to all those DVDs I brought you?"

"Watched 'em." Steve leaned back against the couch with a sigh.

"Watched them? You watched _six_ movies since you've been home? What did you do—stay up all night?"

When McGarrett just looked at him without replying, Danny ran his hands down his face. "You stayed up all night." He shook his head. "We really need to get you a hobby, you know that?"

"I have a hobby."

"Shooting guns is not a hobby."

Steve rolled his eyes. "I have other hobbies. I jog. Surf. Do martial arts."

Danny waved a hand dismissively. "Okay, a less _physical_ hobby then. Like…woodworking…or reading."

"I read."

"If you say so."

Narrowing his gaze, McGarrett just barely resisted the urge to stick out his tongue or lob a pillow at his sarcastic partner. He opted instead to say, "So what are you doing here in the middle of the day anyway? Aren't you in the middle of a case?"

"Nope. We arrested the scumbag this morning."

"You did? So who killed the lounge lizard?"

Danny smiled in satisfaction. "It was Tanely's bodyguard. Good ol' Taaveti was bangin' the bodyguard's hot young girlfriend."

McGarrett made a face at the concept.

Seeing that look, Danny made a face of his own. "Yeah, well, apparently Taaveti Tanely's money was much more attractive than the man. And while the bodyguard had the looks…"

"He had little money," finished Steve. "A story as old as time."

"Yep. So, Chin and Kono are wrapping things up while I came over here to give you the money you scammed from me in poker."

"_Won_. _Won_ from you in poker."

"Uh huh," the detective dug out his wallet and counted out the money in question. He dropped it on the end table next to the couch. "And lucky for _you_, I also brought you some more DVDs." He handed over the DVDs he'd been carrying.

Steve took them and eagerly sorted through them, stopping at the last one with a frown. He held up the clamshell case and raised an eyebrow. "Beginners Yoga?"

"Oh, yeah—Rachel gave me that one to give to you. She swears by it for getting a person back on their feet after being in hospital as she puts it."

"So your ex-wife thinks I should do yoga."

Danny's hands flew upward. "Hey, I'm just the messenger."

"Well, I'm NOT going to be doing any yoga."

"Whatever, Mr. Macho."

"You mean to tell me that the next time you get out of the hospital, you'll be doing yoga?"

Ignoring McGarrett's question, Danny crowed, "So you admit there _will be_ a next time that I end up IN the hospital. Probably due to some crazy-assed actions on your part, right?"

Steve huffed out an annoyed breath. "Just put one of the movies in."

_*H50* *H50* *H50*_

The next morning Steve was just taking his second swallow of coffee when his doorbell rang. Frowning, he padded to the front door and opened it. His frown deepened when he saw Danny and his daughter, Grace, on the stoop. Glancing between the two, he offered up, mostly for Grace's benefit, "Uhh, hi."

"Hi, Uncle Steve! Danno told me to tell you that I'm your project for the day!" A full-on, bright grin lit Grace's face.

Before McGarrett could say anything else, the little girl slipped across his threshold at a nudge from her dad.

"Danny?" Steve growled. "What the..."

Williams grinned and started to back away. He shrugged, a sly look on his face. "No school. Rachel was desperate for a babysitter. I gotta work." In truth, Danny had asked his ex-wife to cooperate in his little scheme to keep Steve occupied. He'd been a little shocked when she readily agreed. "Have fun, monkey!" Danny called still backing up.

"I will, Danno!"

"Danny," Steve hissed. "Get back here."

The detective ignored him and made a break for the car.

"Uncle Steve, I brought lots of stuff for us to play with. My Flower Fairy dolls. My favorite stuffed animals. And lots of books. Oh, and my princess stuff…"

McGarrett bit back a groan and closed his front door with a thud.

_*H50* *H50* *H50*_

Later that day, Danny let himself into Steve's house and made his way to the living room where he found his partner fast asleep on the couch and his daughter sitting in the chair next to it, book in hand. Some random cartoon hijinks sounded from the television.

"Hey, monkey," he said, drawing Gracie's attention.

"Danno!" the little girl called, keeping her voice at a whisper. She scrambled out of the chair and threw herself into her dad's arms.

"How'd it go today?"

"Good! I read lots to Uncle Steve. He even played Flower Fairys with me!"

Danny snickered when he looked at Steve who was still fast asleep. He was adorned with a rhinestone tiara and feather boa. A "magic wand" was held loosely in his hand. "I take it you were playing princess too?" As he spoke, he dug out his cell phone.

Gracie giggled. "No, I put that on him after he fell asleep."

Danny laughed and snapped a picture with his phone.

The clicking noise apparently roused Steve, who suddenly shifted on the couch. He opened his eyes, blinking a few times to bring everything into focus. When awareness completely dawned, Steve sat up, knocking the sparkly tiara into his lap. He gaped at the sight before noticing the feather boa and magic wand. Steve dropped the wand like it was red hot and quickly pulled the boa from around his neck. "Guess I should be glad it wasn't make up, huh?" He felt his cheeks turn a little pink.

Danny couldn't help it, he laughed. "Don't worry about it—she does it to me all the time." He ruffled his daughter's hair. "Grand entertainment for an eight-year-old. So, monkey, I'm starving. If it's okay with Steve, how about we order in some dinner?"

"Pizza?" the little girl asked, hope shining on her face.

"Hmm, always with the pizza. You're gonna turn into a pizza one of these days. I dunno, what say you, Steven?"

Steve watched Danny's antics with his daughter and smiled. He nodded. "You know, pizza sounds great right about now. As a matter of fact, why don't we call Chin and Kono? An impromptu pizza party—my treat!"

_**FIN**_


End file.
